Antonio Ascari
Antonio Ascari | |
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![]() Antonio in an Alfa Romeo P2 in 1925 | |
Born | |
Died | 26 July 1925 | (aged 36)
Occupation | Racing driver |
Children | Alberto Ascari |
Antonio Ascari (15 September 1888 – 26 July 1925) was an Italian Grand Prix motor racing champion. He won four Grands Prix before his premature death at the 1925 French Grand Prix. He was the father of two-time World Champion Alberto Ascari.
Early life
Ascari was born at Bonferraro Di Sorgà, near Mantua but in the Veneto region of Italy, as the son of a wheat salesman.[1] He left school early and worked for some time in a blacksmith's forge.[1] After moving to Milan with his family, he worked as a mechanic with car manufacturers Di Vecchi ; while there he was given his first drive at a touring car event in Modena in 1911.[2] he spent the First World War servicing aircraft.[2] When the war ended he set up an Alfa Romeo dealership in Milan.[1]
Career
He began racing cars at the top level in 1919. When Fiat withdrew from the Parma–Poggio di Berceto hillclimb that year, he bought one of their cars, a Fiat Grand Prix 4500, entered the competition (which was also the debut race for Enzo Ferrari), and won.[1][2] He followed it up with a win in the Consuma hillclimb.[3] He drove the same car in the 1919 Targa Florio, and was performing well until he skidded off the racetrack into a deep ravine; despite this, his bosses took note of his talent and recruited him into the Alfa Romeo team.[4] The company also granted him the concession for the whole of Lombardy. As well as sales, he had a role in development, and was involved in the production of the Alfa Romeo ES Sport.[4] He raced for Alfa Romeo in the 1920 and 1921 Targa Florio, without great success, but in 1922 he finished fourth.[5] He was leading the 1923 race when his car broke down just short of the finish line. He got it going again, but his teammate, Ugo Sivocci, passed him to win the race, with Ascari finishing second.[4] A month later, at the Cremona Circuit, he drove to his first major Grand Prix victory, driving an Alfa Romeo RL TF.[4] He entered the 1923 Italian Grand Prix, where he was to drive the new P1 car, but the team withdrew from the race after Sivocci was killed during practice.[3]
In 1924, Ascari was again the winner at Cremona, in the first race of the new
In 1925, the
Death and legacy
On 26 July 1925, Ascari took part in the
Ascari's death led to an outpouring of grief, both in France and in Italy. His body was put on display in Montlhéry, where locals filed past it. During its journey to Milan by train, flowers were laid at each stop on the carriage containing his coffin. In Milan, the coffin was displayed in the Alfa Romeo building, where throngs of people filed past. Thousands lined the route of the funeral procession to the
Ascari's son, Alberto, who was seven at the time of Antonio's death, also became a racing driver, and was two-time Formula One champion in 1952–53. He also died behind the wheel at age 36, and on the 26th of the month.[9]
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Ascari in Alfa Romeo 20-30 ES at the 1922 Targa Florio
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At Cremona in 1924
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At Belgian GP in 1925
References
- ^ ISBN 9781845847487. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
- ^ a b c "Antonio Ascari". Grand Prix History. September 2007. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
- ^ a b c d "Antonio Ascari". MotorSport Magazine. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
- ^ a b c d e Newman (2014), p. 37
- ^ "The History of the Targa Florio - Part 3". Grand Prix History. April 2002. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
- ^ a b Etzrodt, Hans. "The 1925 Automobile World Championship". The Golden Era of Grand Prix Racing. Archived from the original on 13 August 2007. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
- ^ ISBN 9781442277625. Retrieved 2 June 2021.
- ^ Newman (2014), p. 38
- ^ Kirk (2017), p. 11
External links
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